Lai Mohammed decries fraud in electing leaders

The Interim National Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Alhaji Lai Mohammed, has decried the fraudulent process of electing political office holders in the country.

He said the development was responsible for the poor leadership quality in Nigeria.

Mohammed spoke at the weekend in Osogbo, the Osun State capital. He was the guest lecturer at the Awolowo Centre for Philosophy, Ideology and Good Governance.

The occasion was the third anniversary of the Rauf Aregbesola administration.

The APC publicist said no government could achieve good governance and development if the leaders are not focused.

Mohammed described the Federal Government’s policies as arbitrary and accused the Goodluck Jonathan administration of widespread corruption and abuse of power.

He warned the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the Federal Government to stop harassing new APC governors and National Assembly members.

Mohammed said: “The PDP period of nemesis has come. When Governors Yisa Yaguda (Bauchi), Theodore Orji (Abia), Ikedi Ohakim (formerly of Imo), Senator Adeseye Ogunlewe (former Works Minister) and others defected to the PDP, their seats were not declared vacant. But now that events have pushed the PDP into minority in the National Assembly, the party is planning to unseat the new APC members. Let me say that this will never be possible.”

The APC chieftain said the party now has 16 governors, 55 senators and 217 House of Representatives members.

Mohammed condemned the harassment of the members of the Rivers State House of Assembly, who, he said, were dispersed with tear gas by the police to prevent them from sitting.

Governor Rauf Aregbesola expressed gratitude to the Director-General of the Awolowo Centre for Philosophy, Ideology and Good Governance, Prof. Moses Akinola Makinde, for his love for the late Premier of the Western Region, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, and his thoughts.

Makinde hailed Aregbesola for bringing Awolowo’s legacy into his administration and style of governance in Osun.

He said: “The view that Aregbesola is an Awolowo re-incarnate is justified by several passages from Awolowo’s writings and his ascetic way of life. This involves self-mortification of the highest order.”

Aregbesola said: “Prof. Makinde is an amazing person, who is God-sent for the establishment of the Awolowo Centre for Philosophy, Ideology and Good Governance in the State Osun. ”

The governor decried the missing $4.98 billion from the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), saying the Federal Government would soon cripple the economy, if the situation persisted.

The governor said if the missing fund was shared equally among the 36 states, in line with 26 per cent allocation formula to the states, Osun would get N57 billion.

He said: “If I get this money in this state, I will just ask my people to be laughing for one week because there will be so much to achieve with the money. Unfortunately, this is the money they declared missing.”

A former vice chancellor of the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Prof. Wale Omole, who was the Chairman of the occasion, said he was proud of the Aregbesola administration’s transformation programmes in the last three years.

Mohammed also warned the President to be wary of Obasanjo.

He said: “A few days ago, Obasanjo wrote a controversial letter to Jonathan wherein he raised some allegations against him. Surprisingly, I heard that they both had breakfast together in Kenya a few days ago and felt sorry for Jonathan. The breakfast meeting is a signal of the danger ahead for Jonathan. I felt sorry because he could not understand that dining with Obasanjo comes with trouble.

“In 2003, when he had a similar lunch with former Governor Olusegun Osoba of Ogun State on the day of election, he had surreptitiously planned to rig him out of office without Osoba knowing.

“A few years ago, Obasanjo took former Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Chairman Audu Ogbeh on a lunch date. Yet, he had already orchestrated his removal from office.

“All these say much about the character of Obasanjo and his penchant for pulling a fast one on people he no longer wants around him after a meal date. Therefore, Jonathan should be careful flirting with Obasanjo.”

Mohammed said there would be a power shift in 2015 with the emergence of APC.

He said: “We are the party to beat in 2015. We are in the majority in the National Assembly. Our members have outnumbered the PDP’s in the House of Representatives and the Senate.”